Seven Taliban dead in Kabul airport attack

Kabul (AFP): Taliban militants on Monday launched a grenade and gun attack on Kabul airport, seizing two nearby buildings and firing on military facilities before being overwhelmed by Afghan security forces. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up and all five other attackers were killed in fighting as elite Afghan troops stormed the half-built properties where the militants had holed up. Loud explosions and sporadic bursts of small-arms fire erupted for at least four hours after the attack woke up residents of the Afghan capital at about 4.30 am (local time). "There were seven assailants -- two (suicide bombers) died detonating themselves and five others were killed in fighting," Kabul police chief Mohammad Ayoub Salangi told reporters. "There have not been any casualties to the security forces, and we have not received any report of civilian casualties so far." Officials immediately hailed the security forces' response, with Adela Raz, a spokeswomen for President Hamid Karzai, praising their "bravery and courage" on her Twitter feed.